


Namesake

by roguewrld



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 14:30:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1229914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roguewrld/pseuds/roguewrld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ficlet. Tony and Steve have a conversation about Howard. It’s awkward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Namesake

**Author's Note:**

> Part of Ficlet Friday on my Tumblr: http://roguewrld.tumblr.com

“I was probably the only kid back then lying awake at night, wishing I was a mutant. If I had woken up blue one day, or really hairy, I could have gone to live with Charles and Erik.” Tony's voice was muffled under the car, because they never talked about Howard face to face. “Once you’ve spent a few weeks with people who can read minds and make sonic noises, regular rich people boarding schools don’t really live up.”

“I can’t believe Anton let him get away with shipping you off to strangers.” Steve reached for a new pencil to shade in the soles of Tony’s sneakers on his drawing. “He told me once that Howard wanted us all to be predictable, like machines. Anton-”

Tony slid out from under the car. “Anton Vanko.” His tone was flat.

Steve hid a grimace. He’d stepped in it again. “Yes. SHIELD didn’t have a file, I assumed he was dead.”

“He is. He passed away a few years ago. Managed to outlive Dad.” Tony set his wrench down and grabbed a different tool.

 There was something strange in Tony’s voice. Not loss, but that fake way he sounded talking to the press. The way he sounded about Obadiah Stane. “Tony?”

“It’s fine.” Tony waved away Steve’s concern and slid back under the car. “Never met the man. What was he like?”

“He was the only person I knew back then who could keep up with Howard.”

There was the sound of a ratchet from underneath the car. “I was named for him, wasn’t I?”

“I think so. At one point, Howard promised Anton his first born if he could fix some mechanical problem we were having.”

Tony slid back out from under the car. He looked sad. “I met his son.”

Steve guessed that hadn’t gone so well. “How did that go?”

“He built an arc reactor in his apartment out of a box of scraps.” Tony didn’t sound competitive about it, or even grudgingly happy someone was his match. “He built a suit. And he used it to try and kill me.”

Oh.


End file.
